Drummers and other percussionists often practice and work on their technique to improve at playing their desired instruments. Percussionists (like all instrumentalists) also often practice a piece of music repetitively until it is ready to be performed. Many percussionists are very particular about the size, shape, weight, feel, balance, and response of the drumstick, mallet, beater, or other striking device they choose to use in a given performance for optimum feel and satisfaction in sound quality. Percussionists may find their practices to be more effective when they are using a striking device that has the same size, shape, weight, feel, balance, and response as the striking device they use to play music in their performances. However, practicing can often pose problems for a percussionist. As one example, percussion instruments often produce loud and/or sharp noises that can be an unwelcome distraction to family, neighbors, and other people in the vicinity. These noises can also damage the hearing of the percussionist over time. As another example, repeated practice with the same striking device can cause wear and damage to the striking device and/or the instrument, even to the point of breakage. As a further example, practicing by striking certain surfaces, such as a table or desk top, can damage the surfaces.
Existing striking devices and accessories do not adequately address these issues. For example, percussion sticks designed for practicing currently exist, however such practice sticks typically do not have the same characteristics as the percussionist's preferred sticks. As another example, percussion sticks have been coated at least partially with rubber or similar material to reduce playing volume and/or to provide protection. However, such coatings are permanent, preventing the sticks from being used in normal performances, and may also add significant weight to the sticks. As another example, percussionists may cover the instrument itself with a covering, such as a towel or a specially-designed instrument cover. Such coverings dampen the response of the instrument, however, and do not permit the percussionist to feel the response of the instrument accurately.
The present device and method are provided to address the problems discussed above and other problems, and to provide advantages and aspects not provided by prior percussion striking devices, instruments, and accessories. A full discussion of the features and advantages of the present invention is deferred to the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.